The Indians felt from the early days of Spring Training that they had the makings of something special this season. As Jason Giambi tossed away his bat and thrust his arms into the air on Tuesday night, the raucous Cleveland crowd showed that it believes now, too.
Progressive Field erupted as Giambi’s walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth disappeared deep into the lower deck beyond the right-field wall. Fans hugged in the stands, Michael Brantley jumped up and down on the field and the Indians emptied their dugout, stormed the field and celebrated a miraculous 5-4 victory over the White Sox.
“It’s stuff you dream about,” said Giambi, still out of breath after the mob scene in Cleveland.
The Indians have larger dreams in mind, and that is why this improbable win within an even more impossible season was so critical.
Cleveland has overcome so much this season to soar up the standings this September into the American League’s second Wild Card seed, which they still hold with a one-game lead over Texas.
If one game could sum up a season, this was it. It was a roller coaster that began with a strong start from Ubaldo Jimenez and nearly ended when closer Chris Perez surrendered a pair of ninth-inning home runs to push the Tribe to the brink of a demoralizing defeat.
That outcome did not fit the script of this storybook season.
“That had to have been, by far, one of the more emotional wins that we’ve had,” Indians first baseman Nick Swisher said. “Especially considering where we are in the running. If you lose that game, man, you never know what’s going to happen. We’re in that position right now where we’ve got to win out. We’ve got to win.
“I almost started crying when he hit that ball.”
Giambi’s blast off White Sox closer Addison Reed marked the 11th walk-off win of the season for the Indians, who have rattled off 10 wins in their past 12 games. It gave the 42-year-old slugger three pinch-hit homers this season, tying a franchise record most recently achieved by Ron Kittle in 1987. Cleveland collected its 13th consecutive win over Chicago and its sixth win against the White Sox in the last at-bat.
Cleveland’s magic number to clinch a Wild Card spot current sits at five.
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